You may well be aware that all schools in NZ will be re-opening from Monday 18 May now that we are in Alert Level 2.

All Manawatū College students are expected to return at 9.05am Monday, except for those who are sick and need to remain at home, and those who are living with others who are considered very high risk.

The key principles we will be observing here at Manawatū College for Alert Level 2 include:

• Reducing the risk of students, staff members or school community members getting infected in the first place.

• Ensuring we can identify and contact anyone who becomes infected.

As we have done in Alert Level 3, you can be assured that in Alert Level 2 we will know who is at school, who our staff and students have been in close contact with and take appropriate measures to keep everyone safe. While parents may come on site during Level 2 to drop off and pick up their teenagers, please do not linger and please exercise sensible physical distancing measures. All other school visitors must sign in at the school office.

We do recognise that physical distancing is challenging in schools. To counter this, we will be ensuring:

• young people and staff are maintaining enough distance so that they are not breathing on or touching each other

• separate seating arrangements in class as much as is feasible

• no hugs, handshakes, high fives etc

• good hygiene practices amongst staff and students, including coughing into your elbow, regular handwashing and drying, and regular cleaning of commonly touched surfaces with appropriate cleaning products

• hand sanitizer stations will be set up in every room in the school.

• No students will be able to leave the school grounds at interval or lunchtime. This includes students with lunch passes AND Year 13s (many of whom are used to going off-site for lunch). This is necessary in order for us to meet the Ministry of Health's requirements about contact tracing.

This means that the students will have to bring lunch or buy it from the school canteen.

Under Alert Level 2, can we please emphasise that students and staff must stay at home if they are sick. We will send anyone home immediately if they show any symptoms.

Please note:

• Distance learning will still be available for those who need to remain at home

• Playground, sports equipment use and sports, including contact sports, can resume at Level 2 under certain conditions

• All buses will also return to normal schedules from Monday. The ongoing safety of drivers and students and the ability to contact trace will be a priority at Alert Level 2.

Would those students who have been provided with devices by the school or Ministry please bring them (and the power cord) to school on Monday, as they belong to class sets that are required for teaching & learning, and take them to Coaching groups when the bell goes.

Please contact me or the office if you have any concerns or queries.

Nga Mihi

Bruce McIntyre

Principal